“We certainly are aware of these seasonal issues, but yesterday was particularly bad, much worse than expected,” he said.

Mr Wong said the council was unable to mechanically sweep the beach for rubbish in the afternoon or evening due to people being on the sand, relying instead on hand collection and a strong public presence.

“We are activating our litter guards again, now that we are aware of the emerging problem, but at the end of the day, people need to behave responsibly,” he said.

Manly councillor Barbara Aird, who chairs the council’s waste committee, said more needed to be done to educate people about maintaining the beach environment.